Alfa Romeo Milano leak on Facebook

Earlier this week it revealed holiday snaps and personal details of the new head of the British intelligence service MI6, Sir John Sawer. Now it's Alfa Romeo's turn.

An enterprising soul has posted what appears to be early production models of the new 147 replacement, the Alfa Romeo Milano, taken with a phone camera. The white cars are minus name badges, but the Alfa Romeo logo is clearly evident as the cars are grouped together in one of Alfa's factories.

The Milano is clearly a stylish hatch with cues from the just-launched locally MiTo and even sharing some curves from the 8C Competizione. Some MiTo touches, like the headlights and grille, as well as the round LED tail-lights will appear on the Milano when it is launched early next year.

As the rear shot shows though, the tail-lights are extended across with rear, with the reversing lights integrated into the reflectors. Like the 147, the Milano's rear doors have the handles set high into the C-pillar, creating an almost-coupe look.

The hatch is expected to have grown in length and width, with insiders saying it is close in size to the previous generation 156. The Milano will be available as a five-door hatch initially but a three-door, as well as performance GTA models are tipped to follow.

Petrol power is expected to come from a range of both 1.4 and 1.7-litre turbocharged engines, delivering between 90kW and 120kW depending on specification. A high performance 198kW V6 engine is expected to be slotted into the range-topping GTA. A range of turbo-diesels will also be available.

When the giant Fiat group — which owns Alfa Romeo — assumed control of Chrysler recently, details of Alfa's future naming strategies emerged in plans Fiat presented to the Chrysler board.

It showed that the 147 replacement could be called the Milano and the 159 replacement the Guilia.